Early Spring Vegetable Planting

Spring has arrived and we are dreaming of green grass, warm soil, fresh, crisp veggies and juicy, mouth-watering fruit. It is a great time to get in the garden and start planting. We have many vegetables in stock, and recently received a shipment of so many seeds! Come take a look and get to planting them.

Prepare the Soil

Even if you took lots of loving care in the fall to prepare the soil, you need to do it again now. Here is how you should prep the soil:

Till 8-10 inches down into the soil. You can do this a variety of ways:

Elbow grease and a shovel or hoe (not recommended for a large garden).

Remove any rocks, weeds, buried treasure, and clumps you find. If you have planted in our area at all, you know how much clay is in the soil. You won’t be able to get it all out (nor do you have to), but you want to remove large clumps.

Amend the soil by adding 2-3 inches of compost, peat moss, or whatever other amendment you prefer and mix that in with the existing soil.

If you fertilized heavily in the fall, no need to do so now. But if you didn’t, use 10-10-10 fertilizer and add approximately 1-2 pounds per 100 square feet of garden space. (Make sure to follow the directions on the fertilizer you choose.)

After you have finished mixing in all the good stuff, the soil should be crumbly and moist. Rake it flat.

Water the soil. Yes, without the seeds or plants. Then wait a day or two.

Voila. Soil is prepped and ready.

Veggies To Plant

Once the soil is ready, here are the vegetables that you can plant at this time. The ones below can be planted directly from seed. Follow directions on the seed package for planting specifics for each variety.

Arugula

Carrots

Cauliflower

Cilantro

Kale

Kohlrabi

Leeks

Lettuce

Mustard

Onions

Parsley

Peas

Potatoes

Radishes

Rutabaga

Spinach

Turnips

Plants that will do well if transplanted from baby plants into the soil:

Broccoli

Cabbage

All of these herbs and veggies can tolerate the cold and frost. If there is a deep freeze, you will want to cover the tender veggies with frost cloth.

Once you have fresh veggies growing and happy in your garden, harvest and create delicious and healthy meals with them. Need some suggestions? We found a few recipes that we think you might love: